The invention relates to a camera in which flexible printed circuit board(s) are integrated within the camera to provide electrical connections for electrical structure parts, especially a camera with an improved flexible printed circuit board electrical structure that minimizes space requirements.
With conventional cameras of this type, it has been attempted to arrange a mounting board comprising an electrical control circuit alongside built-in components with a flat surface inside the camera and to install an electrical connecter, which is a connecting means to the various electrical components inside the camera, for electrically connecting an electrical board, such as a flexible printed circuit board (referred to hereafter as FPC board), to the mounting. In this case, in order to make it possible to arrange the thicknesses of the mounting board and the electrical connecter, a wide exclusive mounting region is necessary.
FIG. 11 shows an example of a conventional camera of this type. It presents a cross section that shows one side of the camera partially enlarged. In this drawing, the camera main body 1 is equipped with a cartridge chamber 2, as the film chamber, into which a film cartridge F is loaded and an aperture component 3 through which the film runs out from and back to the cartridge chamber 2.
Shutter unit 4 is shown by an imaginary line in the middle of the drawing to the front of the aperture component 3. A shrouding component 5 is provided to the front of the shutter unit 4 and is a structural component that surrounds the photographic light path from the photo lens (not shown) to the film. The side of the shrouding component 5 closest to the cartridge chamber 2 consists of the flat outer wall 5a.
The front body 6 is attached to the front surface of the main body 1 through the joining component 1a so as to cover the shrouding component 5. A commonly known rear cover (not shown) is positioned on the back side of the main body 1.
A film rewinding fork 7 carries out film rewinding by connecting with the cartridge shaft of the film cartridge F loaded into the cartridge chamber 2.
A flat surface portion 2a forms part of the outer wall of the cartridge chamber 2. The flat surface portion 2a is positioned opposite the flat outer wall 5a of the shrouding component 5. A mounting board 10 equipped with a controlling circuit for controlling the driving of the various electrical components inside the camera is positioned between the outer wall 5a and the flat portion 2a closest to the outer wall 5a of the shrouding component 5.
A horizontal (or other) electrical connecter 11 is attached to the mounting surface 10a of the mounting board 10. An FPC board 12, which is the means by which the various electrical components within the camera are connected, is connected to the electrical connecter 11.
In the structure of the basic conventional camera described above, because of the combined thickness of the mounting plate 10 and the horizontal electrical connecter 11, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient gap, in which they are located, between the outer wall 5a of the shrouding component 5 and the flat surface portion 2a of the outer wall of the cartridge chamber 2.
Therefore, in a conventional camera of this type, it is necessary to position the flat surface portion 2a of the outer wall of the cartridge chamber 2 well to the left side of FIG. 11. Thus, a structural layout must be used in the camera in which the entire cartridge chamber 2 is displaced to the left of the camera main body. As a result, the camera as a whole may become larger.
In other words, in a camera of the conventional structure described above, because a fairly wide exclusive mounting region is required in order to make possible the installation of mounting board 10, the electrical connecter 11 mounted therein and the FPC board 12, connected to the electrical connecter 11, the camera as a whole becomes unavoidably larger.
When it is desired to provide enhanced features to the camera, additional electrical components must be provided. For such a camera, a two-sided mounting board is normally used. With such mounting boards, the added electrical components are located on one board surface while the electrical connector for use in electrical connection is placed on the opposite board surface to provide for component integration in the limited space.
However, as can be seen in FIG. 11, should electrical components be placed on the other side of the mounting board 10 from the electrical connector 11, the space between the flat outer wall 5a and the mounting board 10 must be increased with a commensurate increase in the distance between the flat outer wall 5a and the flat surface portion 2a of the outer wall of cartridge chamber 2. Such a structure again increases the size of the camera.